Emerging technology means cloud-based, Web 2.0, social media, & mobile apps, leads to flipped classrooms

According to Michelle Pacansky-Brock’s book published in 2013, emerging technology means “tools or types of tools that are making an impact in teaching and learning but are not yet adopted in mainstream teaching practices.”

In her book, “Best Practices for Teaching with Emerging Technologies,” the following definitions apply:

1)  Cloud-based

refers to applications that are stored and accessed through the web and provide the flexibility to be accessed from anywhere with an internet connection.

2) Web 2.0

means web-based tools that are easy to use and create with, and possess collabrative and social sharing capabilities.

3) Social media

refers to web-based or mobile technologies that turn communication into a participatory experience.

4)  Mobile apps

are those applications that are designed to be used on a mobile device like a smartphone or tablet.

Also in Michelle Pacansky-Brock’s book, the above are being used to create flipped classrooms, which inverts a traditional classroom into one that shifts all of the lectures online and encourages students to use their iPod, iPhone, or computer to access the lectures, and use class time for discussion, analysis, and debate.